1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical module which includes an optoelectric device and is to connect an electrical circuit and an optical fiber, and to a method for manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Background Art
The development of broadband communication has been accompanied by a demand for greater speeds and larger capacities in routers on network nodes and in information appliances. In response thereto, progress is being made in terms of introducing optical interconnections in which an optoelectric conversion is performed at an input or output portion for electric transmission, and high-speed, high-capacity transmissions are performed by utilizing the broadband properties of optical fiber.
An optical communications assembly whose main portion is directly formed on a flexible circuit board by injection molding or another molding process is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-82830. This optical module and the manufacturing method therefore employ a lens array and other expensive components, and thus, the entire optical module becomes expensive, making it difficult to keep cost under control.
An optical module having a surface-output-type light-emitting device mounted on one surface of a flexible printed circuit board, and a ferrule having an optical fiber in it disposed on the other surface of the flexible printed circuit board is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-47682. In the optical module and the manufacturing method therefore, the light-emitting portion of the surface-output-type light-emitting device is not readily visible, and therefore must be aligned using an image-recognition device. The alignment is difficult to perform, reducing the suitability of the module for mass production.